diamond //sweet pea//

//nineteen//

"How much further Fangs?" 

"I told you we're close."

Dallas, Fangs, Sweet Pea, Toni and Cassidy had made the trip to see Theodore Fogarty, also known as Teddy, also known as Cindy Wiley's once upon a time true love. He lived way out in Pinedale. Or at least that was the last place Fangs knew him to be. 

The house was secluded on a little ranch, about 15 minutes from the just slightly larger town. It was a decent sized house, and a motorcycle sat in the drive way. Dallas pulled my car up to the yard and my overly packed car sat in silence for a moment. She leaned back to look at Fangs, Toni and Cas. Then she switched her gaze to Sweets and sighed. 

"Let's do this." Dallas said opening the door. 

The group was silent on the walk up to the door. Dallas rapped her knuckles on the door and waited. After a few minutes the door creaked open and there stood a man who looked like an older Fangs. He had the same tan skin and dark eyes. She immediately found the Serpent tattoo on his neck, very similar to Sweet Pea's. He stared at her with wide, fearful eyes. He mouthed something that was barely a whisper, but she caught it. Cindy. 

He snapped out of it looking back into the house before coming outside and shutting the door behind him. 

"Fangs," he said, a slow smile creeping onto his face. 

"Uncle Teddy, sorry we just showed up but my friend Dallas here has a few questions, about her mom. Would that be okay?" Fangs asked. 

"Yeah, sure." He smiled at Dallas before leading the five into the house. Th living room was warm and it was inviting. He sat in a worn leather chair, Dallas taking the couch next to him. 

"Hi, it's really nice to meet you. FP has told me a little about my mom but said you were the expert." Dallas chuckled. 

He grinned sheepily and ran a ringed hand through his hair. "You could say that. What do you want to know kid?" 

Dallas took a deep breath and rummaged through her bag where she produced a list. "Okay, how did you meet my mom?"

He leaned back and took a moment to think. "It was a long time ago, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. We were in sixth grade, just started junior high. We had math together and I was terrible at it. And Mr. French assigned me a student tutor. This little blonde girl, tiny as all get out. Blue eyes that pierced the soul. We met at Pop's to study. Some 8th graders were giving her a hard time about her pigtails and dress, they even knocked the math book out of her hands. I was ready to jump but she kicked the biggest one in the shin and grabbed his ear when he bent down. She whispered something to him and he took off. I was so beyond impressed and from that day we were inseparable." 

Dallas watched him talk about Cindy with complete awe. She smiled and looked back down at her list. "When did you guys join the Serpents?"

"I was 14, fresh into high school. My dad was an alcoholic and my mom was too timid to keep him from beating her, so I needed to take a stand. Not only for my my mom, but for my little brother and for myself. So I joined and I knew Cindy wouldn't particularly like it. But I did what I had to do. She was 17 and had just gotten out of nasty relationship with Ricky. Malachai's dad. It was brutal and messy and violent and it shattered my heart to se my best friend like that. And I remember her showing up bruised and bloody after an especially bad fight and I took her to the Serpents. They welcomed her and she was sold. Got her tattoo that very night."

The similarities made Dallas' skin crawl. She wasn't at all surprised that Malachai got his violent tendencies from his dad. A hand rested on her thigh and the most concerned look from Sweet Pea burned her skin. 

Dallas clereed her throat and looked at the list. "When did you and my mom get together?" 

"A week or so after she became a Serpent, I asked her out. It was the easiest thing I've ever done. She said yes and we were together for years. You know until we fucked everything up. We got in a fight. Over Riverdale. I wanted to leave and get away from my dad, Ricky and the general gang life. I wanted to be with her. We could start over. She didn't want to go. Her dad was buried in RIverdale and so was her brother. Her younger cousin who she watched over was still in school. And so Ieft. And she went back to Ricky."

Dallas felt sick to her stomach. But she needed him to continue. 

"I didn't see her for years. Then she showed up at this door and she was pregnant. I believe this was the year 2000. She told her what had been going on in her life for the past eight years. She had had a kid with Ricky, Malachai. However Ricky had kind of stolen him from her. And since she knew she couldn't keep Malachai from Ricky, she went to the only person she knew that was still in Riverdale. FP. Her best friend, our best friend. They had gotten drunk, her over Ricky and Malachai and him over his failing marriage. She had gotten pregnant. And FP was back with Gladys and she had no one. We were gonna get married. We were gonna raise the baby together. Have the family we always wanted. However after she had the baby, she got into drugs. I was beyond pissed and we fought. And she left."

"Wait what?" Dallas exclaimed.

"She got into drugs after she had you. She left. But we kept in touch and she's sometimes bring you here. We'd meet at Pop's. I don't know if you remember that Dallas."

"No, I remember. She told me you were my dad."

"I kind of was. I was there when you were born. Helped raise you for a while." 

He said. Sweet Pea leaned over and wiped away the tears her cheek, she hadn't even realized she was crying. 

"When was the last time you spoke to her?"

"She called me and told me she was dying. And that she didn't know where you'd end up. And she was upset over it and I drove out there, but you're already gone. And so was she."

Dallas was full on sobbing at this point, the room was silent in their own misery. Dallas stood up and stood in front of him. 

"Would it be weird if I hugged you?" she cried. He smiled a sad smile and pulled her into a hug. He was finally reunited with the little girl he had loved so long ago. "Thank you so much. This meant for to me then you could ever know." 

"Any time kid. If you ever wanna know more, just come back okay? You too Fangs, it was good to see you."

He hugged his nephew and walked the group out. He waved as sweet Pea pulled away, Dallas curled up into herself in the seat next to him. 

Teddy walked back into his house and sighed. "Don't ever ask me to lie to her again." He fell slumped into the chair and rested his head in his hand. A slim figure lurked in the hallway. A blonde with piercing blue eyes and pale skin emerged from the darkness. 

"I'm sorry. I'm not ready to see her. I did a terrible thing Teddy."

"You need to make things right Cin, she misses you. She came all the way here to know about you. She won't be as mad as you think."

"Okay. How was she?" Cindy cried. 

"She looked good. She's dating Fangs' best friend. She's a Serpent. She seems happy. But she'd be happier if she knew you were alive Cynthia." 

Cindy sat on the arm of the chair and leaned on him. He moved her off of him and stood up. "Tell her Cindy, or I will."